Araghchi: IAEA inspectors in Iran to monitor Bushehr nuclear plant refueling
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the inspectors of the UN atomic agency are allowed to enter the country to monitor fuel replacement at the Bushehr nuclear power plant following a decision by the country’s Supreme National Security Council.
A team of inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has returned to Iran, its director general Rafael Grossi said, the first to enter the country since Tehran formally suspended cooperation with the agency last month.
Araghchi denied that an agreement was reached on “new cooperation” between Iran and the IAEA, saying that it does not represent a full resumption of cooperation.
"No final text has yet been approved on the new cooperation framework with the IAEA and views are being exchanged," Araghchi said.
The agency's inspectors left Iran after Israel launched its unprecedented attack on June 13, striking nuclear and military facilities as well as residential areas and killing nearly 1,100 people. Washington later joined in with strikes on three nuclear facilities.
Iran subsequently suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, accusing the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US strikes with a report on May 31 that led the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
Iran also denounced the agency’s failure to condemn the attacks.
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